5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Travel Weekly
Dispatch, Riverside's Romantic Rhine: A 'silent' musical experience
RUDESHEIM AM RHEIN, Germany — I'll admit it: I wasn't sure what I signed up for when I first stepped into Siegfried's Mechanical Music Cabinet.
That doubt quickly faded once I realized what a special experience awaited me inside this impressive collection of antique and rare instruments.
The unusual museum, which opened in 1969, today is housed in the Bromserhof, a knight's residence from the 1400s. This historic building holds 350 self-playing instruments.
My musical ability is limited to pressing play on my Spotify playlists, but even I found myself captivated by the history of these objects, which showcase decades of work by the late Siegfried Wendel who worked to collect, repair and preserve this chapter of history.
What really drew me into this excursion on Riverside Luxury Cruises' Romantic Rhine itinerary was when our guide shared that an antique Budapest fairground organ with an impressive facade had been discovered in a barn, broken down and in poor shape. The museum painstakingly restored the Gebruder Bruder self-playing organ.
To give you an idea of the value, Sotheby's sold a Gebruder Bruder creation for $402,500 through Wendel, the founder of the musical mecca sitting near the small but bustling Rudesheim town square.
The museum's collection features instruments dating back 300 years, from intricately designed and delicate music boxes to a cabinet of self-playing violins that was once coined the eighth wonder of the world. The violin cabinet is a labor of love, requiring each instrument to be restrung weekly.
The guides let a lucky few to play the instruments. I got to press the button on a vintage musical box that dispensed cigarettes, while my guest manually played "Happy Birthday" on a Bechstein-Welte self-playing piano before its self-playing nature kicked in.
The musical assortment also includes rolls of paper and wood and records that were used to play music, including on a gramophone, which requires a sharp new needle with every listen.
Riverside Luxury Cruises' signature event for its Romantic Rhine sailing featured a silent film at Siegfried's Mechanical Music Cabinet in Rudesheim am Rhine, Germany. Photo Credit: Brinley Hineman
A soundtrack for a laugh track
After observing the collection of these antique pieces, we stepped inside the theater to enjoy a glass of Champagne while watching a silent film for Riverside Luxury Cruises' signature event on our Rhine itinerary.
The 1929 slapstick film "Big Business," starring Laurel and Hardy as two Christmas tree salesmen attempting to sell their evergreens to residents in sunny California. Their business venture devolves into vandalism, with their outbursts brought to life by the music cabinet's silent film organ.
Somehow, I found myself captivated by the ridiculous on-screen crimes, which were underscored and emphasized by the accompanying music. I didn't feel the urge to check my phone once, which is a departure from my typical scrolling habits while watching a movie back home.
It was a special privilege to watch this film, representing such an important part of entertainment history, as it was originally meant to be seen — and heard!
